Hello and welcome to Hand-Made's Summer Camp!

Our first project is making woven cards, adapted from Sarah Swett's book, Kids Weaving.

For me, weaving has always been a summery craft. The summer before second grade my mother took me to visit a family friend in New Mexico who worked on a large loom in her home. She took the time to show me the ins and outs of working with a loom but I confess that most of that information has escaped me. Swett's checkerboard card project is a good way to practice basic weaving before you try more difficult projects.

To make the card you need:

• 2 legal sized pieces of card stock (in different colors)
• Scissors
• a pencil and ruler (if you want to make exact lines)
• tape or glue

Step One:

Take one piece of paper and fold it in half

Step Two:

Start to cut half of the paper into strips so that it looks like fringe. The strips should stop at the middle fold of the paper and be at least a half an inch thick

Step Three:

Take your other piece of paper and fold it in half. Cut horizontal strips (about a half inch thick) until you get to the midway fold. These strips will be your weaving material. The card will be your loom.

Step Four:

Start weaving! Take your first strip of paper (I used yellow paper) and start by going over the card's first flap and under the second flap. Continue weaving until you get to the end of the card. Then gently push the paper strip towards the middle fold until it feels firm. For the second strip start by going under the first flap and then over the second flap. Continue alternating until you finish your card.

Step Five:

When you are finished weaving, you should have a checkerboard pattern on the front of your card. To keep the pieces together, you can tape the inside of your card, fist along the bottom, then on the sides, making a U shape. On my card, I cut strips of yellow paper and glued them along the edges of my card:

Step Six:

Write a note to one of your favorite people and send! If you are using legal sized paper, you will have to use a large envelope (at least 8.5 inches wide and 5.5 inches tall). Feel free to experiment with differet sized paper and different patterns as well! And don't forget to take a picture of your finished projects and post it on our flickr page!

*Thank you for participating in our first Summer Camp project! Our next project will be online on May 30th. In the meantime, check back here for craft inspiration and DIY book reviews!*